July 29, 2009,
Boeing and SkyHook International Inc. yesterday announced that the
design of the SkyHook Heavy Lift Vehicle (HLV) has reached the
configuration freeze milestone, meaning the aircraft's overall
performance and layout have been established.

Boeing and SkyHook
have worked on the SkyHook HLV's structural and systems design and its
concept of operations since July 2008, resulting in the following
improvements:

the addition
of a three-piece tail for enhanced maneuverability

integration of
lifting and thrusting propulsion systems

improved
aerodynamics for increased payload capacity and range.

"Boeing's Advanced
Rotorcraft Systems team and our industry partner, SkyHook International
Inc., are extremely pleased with the progress on the engineering of the
aircraft," said Kenneth Laubsch, SkyHook program manager for Boeing. "We
all sense that we are part of something revolutionary in the advancement
of this extraordinary technology, and the aerospace industry in
general."

The next major
program milestone will be Detailed Design in 2011, which centers on the
design, analysis and specification of all hardware, software and related
aircraft and ground support systems interfaces.

"The SkyHook HLV
technology is like nothing that has ever existed. We anticipate that the
operational capability of this aircraft will allow SkyHook's customers
to radically change the way they resupply and operate in remote regions,
especially the north," said Rob Mayfield, director of SkyHook. "In the
oil and gas industry, there are significant pressures on cost, speed,
safety, and environmental impact, and the SkyHook HLV represents
solutions to each of these challenges in various applications."

SkyHook is
designed to carry 80,000-pound (40-ton) sling loads up to 200 nautical
miles without refueling -- a capability that is not currently available,
but is desired by several industries, including oil exploration and
mining operations in the Canadian Arctic and Alaska, as well as
companies operating in remote locations in South America, Europe and
Africa.

Boeing is
designing and will fabricate a production SkyHook HLV prototype at its
Rotorcraft Systems facility in Ridley Park, Pa. The new aircraft will
enter commercial service after it is certified by Transport Canada and
the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. The first SkyHook HLV aircraft
is scheduled to fly in 2014.